Last week, Sam Kerr body slammed some piece of shit who invaded the pitch during Chelsea’s Women’s Champions League match against Juventus. Kerr was shown a yellow card as punishment. The pitch invader will not be punished at all.
Why? Misogyny, that’s why.
According to Charlotte Harpur of The Athletic, the Metropolitan Police have not arrested and do not plan to arrest the douchenoggle who interrupted a Champions League match in London because the country’s laws against pitch invaders apply only to men’s soccer matches, not women’s matches.
Today’s WTF moment #thegist
— The GIST USA (@thegistusa) December 13, 2021
Yeah, that’s fucked up.
Harpur reported that the shithead pitch invader will escape justice because Section 4 of the 1991 Football (Offences) Act states: “It is an offence for a person at a designated football match to go onto the playing area, or any area adjacent to the playing area to which spectators are not generally admitted, without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove).”
For some reason, this law only applies to a “designated football match,” which refers to any match in which at least one team is a member of the English Football League, Premier League, Football Conference or League of Wales, or represents a country or territory. Women’s games in the UK — whether it’s the FA Women’s Super League, FA Women’s Cup or UEFA Women’s Champions League — are not given such a classification. I know, the League of Wales is given greater consideration than the Women’s Champions League. You can’t make this shit up.
Sorry, what year is it? https://t.co/jqRw41SMJ0
— Gal Pal Sports (@GalPalSports) December 13, 2021
Basically, any of the more than 40,000 fans at Wembley on Dec. 5 for the Women’s FA Cup final could’ve sauntered onto the pitch with impunity.
Well, except for the possibility of being sent into next week by Sam Kerr.
Full unedited video here for any journalist that wants to use it. Don't need to ask permissions as I'll be asleep for next 8 hours. pic.twitter.com/PI76WC87Uw
— Bradley Cox (@Bcoxy2012) December 9, 2021
Honestly, we shouldn’t be surprised. The UK banned women’s soccer on Dec. 5, 1921, because misogyny, ending the career of women’s football icon Lily Parr, who drew crowds of 50,000, scored more than 900 goals and was paid in cigarettes. Even as the ban was lifted in 1971, blatant misogyny was a huge part of women’s soccer coverage for decades (and still is). How else can you explain a law being passed that explicitly ignores half of the population.
This case highlights the shocking need for these laws to be amended ASAP to protect women’s athletes. Many women’s matches in England take place without any police presence at all, according to The Athletic.
Hopefully changes are made soon, and hopefully this dimwit pitch invader gets more than a Sam Kerr shoulder as punishment.
